Research & Commentary

Originally posted July 2010

I have always dreamed of working in the media field, even though it is a difficult career for Syrian women, especially those from the countryside. Fortunately, I grew up in Damascus, the capital city, and a city where people of diverse religious backgrounds have always managed to coexist. Opportunities offered for women in the cities, however, are still conditioned by their social class, education, and sometimes even their religious background.

Originally posted July 2010

Originally posted July 2010

What does it mean to be a woman and creative in the Arab world?

For mere biological reasons, I am a woman and by birth I am an Arab. As for my work, I am a journalist and filmmaker. I am not sure whether “creative” accurately describes my work, and I am uncertain whether creativity means the same thing across different cultures. Can we describe some work somewhere as “creative” just because it belongs to a profession that is categorized as “creative” in western cultures?

Originally posted July 2010

Originally posted July 2010

Originally posted July 2010

I am a documentary filmmaker of Iraqi origin and have lived in London for a long time. I worked for many years as a film editor on documentaries and dramas and was working toward my ultimate goal, which is to make a fiction feature film, when the first Gulf War erupted in 1991.

Originally posted July 2010

The word “creativity” has many connotations. A creative person is always expected to produce something new and even revolutionary, which makes creativity an unpredictable process. I sometimes feel creativity pouring into my efforts as a filmmaker. Yet, other times I feel that I can no longer come up with fresh ideas, leading me to doubt my talent and even to reconsider my career in the film industry. Nevertheless, filmmaking remains fascinating work and continues to be my passion.

Originally posted July 2010

Originally posted July 2010

I was born in Damascus in 1975. My father is an engineer and a music lover. He used to listen to Jazz and Rock music and play as a drummer in a band. I grew up with 1960s and 1970s tunes. My mother, however, is a Sociology and Child Psychology graduate — a real intellectual who appreciates literature and arts. She is also a determined woman with a strong personality, high principles, and immense affection for me and my two younger brothers. I have always felt that our house was full of love, caring, and freedom.

Originally posted June 2011

This Opinion first appeared in Frontline’s “Tehran Bureau” on April 3, 2012.

The Russian government, like its counterparts in the West, the Middle East, and elsewhere, was caught off guard by the outburst of Arab uprisings beginning in January 2011 that swept away long-ruling authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and (it appears) Yemen, and have threatened to topple those in Bahrain and Syria. The response of the Russian government to these events has, like that of Western governments, often been confused and inconsistent. Just as Western governments have done, Moscow has sought to protect its interests in the region.

Jerusalem will probably be the toughest issue in any future Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. The other three core issues – borders/settlements, security, and Palestinian refugees – will also be very difficult, but Jerusalem is at a different level. Jews, Muslims, and Christians worldwide have strong attachment to the city and its many holy sites. For Israelis and Palestinians, Jerusalem is the focal point of national, cultural, and religious identities and aspirations. Their conflicting claims are based on long history and narratives that do not accommodate the other.

Originally posted August 2011

Originally posted August 2011